Transport administration starts work, merges three separate state agencies
A new transport agency has been set up to cover maritime and civil aviation, as well as road, transport in Estonia. These areas had previously been governed by separate state agencies.
The new Transport Administration (Transpordiamet) started work on January 1, replacing the former Civil Aviation Administration (Lennuamet), Road Administration (Maanteeamet) and Maritime Administration (Veeteede amet), which it is in effect a merger of.
The three agencies had in the past led to some seemingly idiosyncratic divisions of responsibility, such as the Road Administration overseeing the procurement of a flight link between the island of Saaremaa and the mainland.
The joint agency aims to iron out duplication of tasks and improve the quality and availability of services, ERR's online news in Estonian reports.
Setting up the new agency cost €1.4 million, and will bring savings of an estimated €350,000-400,000 per year in staff and administration costs, the economic affairs ministry says.
The move has led to job cuts – the new agency employs 839 people, compared with the 865 staff previously working across the three separate agencies.
Kaido Padar has been appointed head of the new Transport Administration agency.
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